History Awesome / TheForceAwakens

* When the ''Falcon'' is brought into a transport, Rey and Finn hide in a cargo chamber, trying to fix the ship to spew out poisonous gas. They hear the doors open, look up in fear as the camera focuses on a door... and in walk Han Solo and Chewbacca.

* Seeing that even minor characters like Admiral Ackbar and Nien Nunb are still alive and fighting the good fight. Nunb even participates in and ''survives'' the assault on Starkiller Base! Talk about a BadassGrandpa!

*** Even better? That ''wasn't'' a new arrangement of "Burning Homestead". ''It was taken directly from the 1977 soundtrack.'' As [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmMba1YVtUI&index=1&list=LLSsKBnHvhoVRlwdDiI6QaLw&ab_channel=BroadStrokes Broad Strokes points out]], this is a deliberate and brilliant decision on behalf of the filmmakers since the soundtrack originated in the scene where Luke finally decides to continue on his journey to the Force, which is exactly Rey is effectively doing in this scene. By using "Burning Homestead" exactly as it appeared in ''Film/ANewHope'', ''Force Awakens'' creates a subtle link between a key moment in each hero's arc.

*** Even better? That ''wasn't'' a new arrangement of "Burning Homestead". ''It was taken directly from the 1977 soundtrack.''

* Rey getting a stormtrooper to let her out and give her his gun with a JediMindTrick. What's more, that's confirmed as Daniel Craig's cameo appearance. Rey just mind-tricked ''James Bond!''

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/traitor_8.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:'''''TRAITOR!''''']]

** Take note that the X-Wings didn't strafe-run the stromtroopers. They ''snipe'' them.

* The Resistance's arrival in the movie is a good one: while the Rebel Alliance never got a very cool [[BigDamnHeroes "Here we come to save the day!"]] moment in the Original Trilogy, here, when things seem to be at their darkest, with Han, Finn, and Chewie already captured and Rey and BB-8 being hunted down, we suddenly hear a stormtrooper yell "We've got company!" Cue them all rushing to take defensive positions as a group of distant shapes speed over the lake in front of Maz's castle, and we see that it's ''dozens'' of X-wings coming in, S-foils locked in attack position, with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueqKtype7Kk the Resistance's theme]] playing in the background... and they ''kick ass.''

* Rey channeling the Force in the final battle and then proceeding to beat Kylo Ren in lightsaber combat. Especially since this is after [[spoiler:Ren has killed Han, using his own father's ''love'' for him to gain the advantage]]. Seeing Rey (who had already come to think of Han as a father figure) totally ''own'' him is [[CatharsisFactor cathartic.]]

** A third, subtle layer of awesome: on her third, successful attempt, Rey speaks in a calm and polite voice, rather than the commanding tones in her first two attempts. [[FridgeBrilliance Just like every other Mind Trick we've seen in the films.]] Without any training and no doubt fearing for her life, she figured out that the Mind Trick relies on charisma and charm, ''not'' brute [[IncrediblyLamePun force.]]

* Kylo Ren and Snoke's conversation about Luke. Snoke is clearly worried while speaking about him and the mere mention of his name is enough to cast a shadow of fear on Kylo Ren.
** The official novelization explains that Snoke destroyed the Star System in the movie, despite being a valuable resource to the first order, as a desperate act to prevent anyone from finding Luke... [[MemeticBadass Luke Skywalker is so ungodly badass that the villain of the movie, at the ''possibility'' of someone finding him, uses an UpToEleven ''Death Star'' to destroy the entire star system of people who could possibly find him.]] Luke Skywalker [[TheDreaded is so feared]] that using a Death Star to wipeout a star system at a significant loss of the people trying to keep him away is an act of desperation. Snoke is not worried about Luke returning, he's ''terrified'' of it.

** Before that, Finn picking up Luke's/Anakin's lightsaber and challenging Ren, despite clearly being scared as hell. It's currently unknown if Finn is even Force-sensitive, but he did pretty damn well against a trained Dark Side user.
--->'''Kylo:''' That lightsaber - it belongs to me\\
'''Finn:''' Come get it!

* He may wind up being bested twice with it, but props really need to be given to Finn for his performance against Kylo Ren. Even with Ren sporting a gaping wound, Finn is still well below his level, yet despite that he manages quite admirably. Mind you, Finn was ''just another stormtrooper'' not too long before this, but there he stood, even getting in a good hit all while being knocked around and having one of Kylo's lightsaber crossguard blades dig into his shoulder. He's knocked out sure, but give the man some credit - he put up a damn good show.
** WordOfGod and [[ExpandedUniverse supplemental material]] make a note of how incredibly dangerous a lightsaber can be towards its owner (hence the reason why they are so rarely made or used by non-Sith/Jedi). Just being able to ''use'' the damn thing without any training or being a force user is nigh-impossible (think how counter-intuitive it is for a weapon's blade to be weightless - it wouldn't handle at all like a normal sword, spear, staff, etc), and even for well-trained Jedi, wielding an unfamiliar lightsaber is rather unwieldy. Fortunately [[AchievementsInIgnorance nobody told Finn that.]]

** It's a testament to Kylo's raw power that he seems to forget about the blaster bolt until he already starts back to his shuttle.

* The Resistance's arrival in the movie is a good one: while the Rebel Alliance never got a very cool "Here we come to save the day!" moment in the Original Trilogy, here, when things seem to be at their darkest, with Han, Finn, and Chewie already captured and Rey and BB-8 being hunted down, we suddenly hear a stormtrooper yell "We've got company!" Cue them all rushing to take defensive positions as a group of distant shapes speed over the lake in front of Maz's castle, and we see that it's ''dozens'' of X-wings coming in, S-foils locked in attack position, with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueqKtype7Kk the Resistance's theme]] playing in the background... and they ''kick ass.''

** A third, subtle layer of awesome: on her third, successful attempt, Rey speaks in a calm and polite voice, rather than the commanding tones in her first two attempts. [[FridgeBrilliance Just like every other Mind Trick we've seen in the films.]] Without any training and no doubt fearing for her life, she figured out that the Mind Trick relies on charisma and charm, ''not'' brute force.

** The official novelization explains that Snoke destroyed the Star System in the movie, despite being a valuable resource to the first order, as a desperate act to prevent anyone from finding Luke... Luke Skywalker is so ungodly badass that the villain of the movie, at the ''possibility'' of someone finding him, uses an UpToEleven ''Death Star'' to destroy the entire star system of people who could possibly find him. Luke Skywalker [[TheDreaded is so feared]] that using a Death Star to wipeout a star system at a significant loss of the people trying to keep him away is an act of desperation. Snoke is not worried about Luke returning, he's ''terrified'' of it.

** The short version is that TFA broke so many records that [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_box_office_records_set_by_Star_Wars:_The_Force_Awakens Wikipedia has a page dedicated just to listing them all.]] The cherry on the cake is that one of the records is "having the most records."

--->'''General Hux:''' Today is the end of the Republic! The end of a regime that acquiesces to disorder. At this very moment in a system far from here, the New Republic lies to the galaxy while secretly supporting the treachery of the loathsome Resistance. This fierce machine which you have built -- upon which we stand -- will bring an end to the Senate, to their cherished fleet! ALL REMAINING SYSTEMS WILL BOW TO THE FIRST ORDER! AND WILL REMEMBER THIS... AS THE LAST DAY... OF THE REPUBLIC!!!

* The entire chase on Jakku between Rey and Finn in the [[spoiler:''Millennium Falcon'']] and two First Order TIE fighters is also amazing. Not only do the TIE pilots not fall for the normal "trick them into running into obstacles" skit that often got rid of [=TIEs=] in the original trilogy (forcing them to have to be shot down by Finn in the lower turret), amongst other things, Rey does stunts such as ''drifting'' and ''pulling a hairpin turn'', in a ship she's ''never'' flown before, let alone could have piloted on her own. [[spoiler:The Force is strong with her indeed.]]
** Something has to be said for a certain bit of Lampshade Hanging when Finn and Rey are getting into the ''[[spoiler:Falcon]]''.

** Also note that [[Film/ReturnOfTheJedi the last time we saw]] the [[spoiler:''Falcon'']] pull off these maneuvers, she needed a small contingent of co-pilots and technicians to keep her running. Rey does all of it ''by herself'', in a ship that hasn't flown in years.
** The topper is when Finn's cannon is jammed in place with one TIE fighter left. After some great dodging, Rey deliberately stalls [[spoiler:''Falcon'']] and gives Finn a perfect shot with the still-jammed cannon.

* '''''"Traitor!"''''' Cue Finn turning to where the voice came from, only to see a trooper drop his rifle, take out a stun baton and charge him. That's right - a ''[[{{Mooks}} stormtrooper]]'' charged someone wielding a ''lightsaber''. And then ''beat him in a straight fight''. Granted, Finn never used a lightsaber before, but it's still a CMOA for the trooper, who would've won [[spoiler:if Han hadn't blasted him away with Chewie's bowcaster]]. Small wonder he became an instant favourite amongst fans.

* Rey beating [[spoiler:Kylo Ren at the Force mind reading game.]] Her taunt - [[spoiler:"You're afraid you'll NEVER be as strong as '''Darth Vader!'''"]] - completes her defeat of him, that horrified look on [[spoiler:Kylo's]] face selling his fear that anyone could unmask him like that.

* [[spoiler:Rey getting a stormtrooper to let her out and give her his gun with a JediMindTrick. What's more, that's confirmed as Daniel Craig's cameo appearance. Rey just mind-tricked ''James Bond!'']]
** Even better is the build-up to it. [[spoiler:Rey's just managed to look into Kylo Ren's mind with the Force and immediately begins testing the limits of her abilities. The first two times, it fails to work, but the third time? Works like a damn charm. She is living proof to herself that the legends are true.]]

* Chewbacca shooting Ren with his bowcaster. And ''wounding'' him. One of the few times projectile weapons worked against Force-users. [[spoiler:As Han - whom Ren had just killed a moment ago - once said, it is ''not'' wise to upset a Wookiee.]]

*** This has to be noted: [[spoiler: When Chewie goes on his (quite literal) RoaringRampageOfRevenge against the Stormtroopers, he's not charging ''out'' of Starkiller Base. He's [[SelfDestructiveCharge charging]] '''deeper''' into it. The exploding base that he himself just critically damaged. He just saw his best-friend and life partner die, and he's running ''towards'' the enemy, without any fear. [[OneManArmy Don't mess with a Wookiee, indeed.]] ]]
* [[spoiler:Han's DyingMomentOfAwesome. This man has been a cynic and a loner all of his life, only recently coming out of a regression into his old criminal ways. Kylo Ren clearly knows he's there, and either chooses to ignore him, not ready to face his father yet and counting on Han "failing" him again to turn him to the Dark Side, or else stepping onto the walkway to set the scene for the confrontation. Either way, instead of hiding, Han approaches his son, calling him by name: Ben. And then he does Ben Kenobi proud, walking up to him without hesitation or even drawing his weapon. Demanding he take the helmet off, then putting his cynicism aside for the slim chance of his son's redemption, before dying and not leaving a body.]]
** Don't worry, there's more: [[spoiler:Han and Chewie's explosives open up the hole for Poe Dameron to strike a lethal blow on all of Starkiller Base. Han is the only man to enter combat against all three imperial super weapons. And he's 3 for 3 in helping to blow them up. Chewie tops that... since he's not just the only one to have matched Han's feat, he's the only one to have survived it.]]
* [[spoiler:Rey]] channeling the Force in the final battle and then proceeding to beat Kylo Ren in lightsaber combat. Especially since this is after [[spoiler:Ren has killed Han, using his own father's ''love'' for him to gain the advantage. Seeing Rey (who had already come to think of Han as a father figure) totally ''own'' him is [[CatharsisFactor cathartic.]]]]

** Before that, [[spoiler: Finn picking up Luke's/Anakin's lightsaber and challenging Ren, despite clearly being scared as hell. It's currently unknown if Finn is even Force-sensitive, but he did pretty damn well against a trained Dark Side user.]]

* Han Solo's arrival at Starkiller Base by [[spoiler:exiting hyperspace within the planet's atmosphere.]] To put this in perspective, he had to put the ''Millennium Falcon'' on a course that would not only cross the planet's atmosphere, but [[spoiler:exit hyperspace at a low enough velocity relative to the planet so that the ''Falcon'' could crash-land in one piece.]] To top that off, the ''Falcon'' was still spaceworthy even after the crash landing.

* Countering the above, we have [[spoiler:Rey's potential as a Jedi. As shown, within days of seemingly awakening her potential thanks to making contact with Anakin's lightsaber, she figured out the basics behind the JediMindTrick, managed to master pulling objects using the Force, and got a rudimentary feel of properly fighting with a lightsaber, and this isn't even counting whether or not her ability behind the wheel as a pilot is part of the Force flowing through her. Like Kylo Ren, with proper training she'll be ''amazing.'']]
* And then there's the moment where Kylo Ren tries to use the Force to recover [[spoiler:Anakin's]] lightsaber, but is clearly having trouble. Suddenly, the lightsaber flies toward him, but PAST him and right into the hands of [[spoiler:Rey]]. The mixture of rage and OhCrap on Kylo's face is priceless.
* With the above, the mixture of determination, fear, and a little 'wow, that worked' on [[spoiler:Rey's face when she catches and activates the lightsaber is fantastic. Made all the more so from the Character Development it represents from her previous rejection of the Lightsaber and the idea of fighting the Dark Side, and her fear of Kylo Ren.]]

* [[spoiler:Poe]] proving himself the best damn pilot out there when he flies alone through a slew of defenses, through a hole and into the core of the Starkiller Base, unleashing torpedoes everywhere to cripple it before flying right back out. He does what Luke did in ''A New Hope'' (fly through an armed trench) and what Wedge and Lando did in ''Return of the Jedi'' (fly into the core of a massive planet-destroying machine) ''within the same mission.''
* [[spoiler:The final shot of the film, when we see an awed Rey holding out the saber to Luke. He looks older and sadder, but there's a glint in his eye that reminds us that he's a formidable opponent. With no lines and only a few moments on-screen, Mark Hamill makes a powerful impression.]]
** [[spoiler:Now sporting a hooded cloak and a thick beard, Luke heavily resembles his old mentor, Obi-Wan. The student has become the master, indeed.]]
** The build-up to this is absolutely phenomenal, both in and out of the film. [[spoiler:We all remember Luke infamously being SirNotAppearingInThisTrailer throughout the advertising campaign. Well not only was he missing in the trailers and posters, but the very first sentence in the opening crawl talks of how Luke has disappeared. The entirety of the movie revolves around looking for him, and he is now regarded as a FolkHero and a myth -- even Rey is shocked to learn that he's actually real. Every single character speaks in reverence about him, even his de facto brother-in-law Han, who was [[SkepticNoLonger previously]] all about harping on the "hokey religions and ancient weapons". Then Rey is sent to look for him once the map to his location is complete. She climbs the island, up the steep steps and the crumbling ruins of an ancient Jedi temple. Then when she reaches the top, she stops. There is a cloaked figure stood ahead with his back turned. Then the [[https://youtu.be/cUBUlKgsNK8?t=1m38s "Force Theme"]] swells as he slowly turns around and removes his hood... finally -- '''''finally''''' -- revealing the face of Luke Skywalker to Rey and the audience. The look on Rey's face says it all. The myth is real. The moment is so poignant and beautiful that it makes the minute he's onscreen feel much, ''much'' longer.]]

* The fact that [[spoiler:Han and Chewie]] showing up was enough to erase all the ''WebVideo/CinemaSins'' the trailer had racked up to that point.

** The build-up to this is absolutely phenomenal, both in and out of the film. [[spoiler:We all remember Luke infamously being SirNotAppearingInThisTrailer throughout the advertising campaign. Well not only was he missing in the trailers and posters, but the very first sentence in the opening crawl talks of how Luke has disappeared. The entirety of the movie revolves around looking for him, and he is now regarded as a FolkHero and a myth -- even Rey is shocked to learn that he's actually real. Every single character speaks in reverence about him, even his de facto brother-in-law Han, who was [[SkepticNoLonger previously]] all about harping on the "hokey religions and ancient weapons". Then Rey is sent to look for him once the map to his location is complete. She climbs the island, up the steep steps and the crumbling ruins of an ancient Jedi temple. Then when she reaches the top, she stops. There is a cloaked figure stood ahead with his back turned. Then the [[https://youtu.be/cUBUlKgsNK8?t=1m38s "Force Theme"]] swells as he slowly turns around and removes his hood... finally -- '''''finally''''' -- revealing the face of Luke Skywalker to Rey and the audience. The look on Rey's face says it all. The myth is real. The moment is so poignant and beautiful that it makes the short time he's onscreen feel much, ''much'' longer.]]

* While not as revolutionary or positive as Rey, the sheer shock and [[BaseBreakingCharacter base-breaking]] that [[BeingEvilSucks Kylo Ren]] brought upon the fanbase can be considered this. For years, the franchise ran on villains that were deliberately designed to be as cool, likable, badass and marketable as possible, most notably with SeriesMascot Darth Vader. In previews, Kylo Ren seemed like he'd be more of the same, especially since he was designed to be [[DarthVaderClone a deliberate expy of Vader]]. Then the movie itself comes out, and Ren is revealed to be an emotionally volatile, {{wangst}}y and obviously very disturbed PsychopathicManchild who tries too hard [[EvilIsCool to be as impressively evil as Vader was]]; in fact, he tries so hard that [[spoiler:he kills his own father, Han Solo]]. This shocked audiences, cemented Ren's status as a HateSink, and [[BrokenStreak defied expectations]] that he'd be yet another unshakable villain who mainly exists to look cool and show off his awesome fighting skills. In short, not only is Kylo Ren the first [[LoveToHate legitimately despicable]] ''Star Wars'' villain since Palpatine: he's also a {{deconstruction}} of Vader's popularity and status as a cultural icon, since he's what an [[LoonyFan obsessive Vader fanboy]] would be like ''in the Star Wars universe itself''. It takes some thought and [[BrokenBase is VERY debatable]], but it's quite awesome that they managed to surprise audiences with a complex, introspective, ''[[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion Evangelion]]''-esque character in a franchise that's best-known for running on RuleOfCool and being gimmicky and marketable rather than exploring deeper cultural and psychological issues.

--> '''Rey''': This ship hasn't flown in ''years''!

--> '''Han:''' Chewie...''we're home.''

-->'''General Hux:''' Today is the end of the Republic! The end of a regime that acquiesces to disorder. At this very moment in a system far from here, the New Republic lies to the galaxy while secretly supporting the treachery of the loathsome Resistance. This fierce machine which you have built -- upon which we stand -- will bring an end to the Senate, to their cherished fleet! ALL REMAINING SYSTEMS WILL BOW TO THE FIRST ORDER! AND WILL REMEMBER THIS... AS THE LAST DAY... OF THE REPUBLIC!!!
* [[OneSceneWonder Lor]] [[CoolOldGuy San]] [[RetiredBadass Tekka]].....just, '''wow'''. A seemingly harmless old man, with no weapons and no training with the Force, who somehow managed to track down Luke Skywalker himself, something his own sister and the whole Republic couldn't manage. Sees the invasion and destruction of his village by the First Order, doesn't run, doesn't hide, doesn't flinch. He doesn't seem afraid of the armed stormtroopers attacking him, and when Ren asks him where he hid the map, Tekka basically politely tells Kylo Ren [[DidYouJustFlipOffCthulhu to go f*ck himself]] [[HeroicSacrifice at the cost]] [[DyingMomentOfAwesome of his own life.]] The best part is that he doesn't seem the least bit intimidated by Kylo Ren's threats - if anything, Kylo Ren seems a little bit intimidated by ''him''. After all, Lor San Tekka knows what Kylo Ren's most ashamed of: [[spoiler:His true identity.]]

--->'''Kylo:''' That lightsaber - it belongs to me
--->'''Finn:''' Come get it!

--> '''Kylo:''' That lightsaber...it belongs to me!
--> '''Finn:''' ''(ignites lightsaber)'' [[BringIt Come get it!]]

** The build-up to this is absolutely phenomenal, both in and out of the film. [[spoiler:We all remember Luke infamously being SirNotAppearingInThisTrailer throughout the advertising campaign. Well not only was he missing in the trailers and posters, but the very first sentence in the opening crawl talks of how Luke has disappeared. The entirety of the movie revolves around looking for him, and he is now regarded as a FolkHero and a myth -- even Rey is shocked to learn that he's actually real. Every single character speaks in reverence about him, even his de facto brother-in-law Han, who was [[SkepticNoLonger previously]] all about harping on the "hokey religions and ancient weapons". Then Rey is sent to look for him once the map to his location is complete. She climbs the island, up the steep steps and the crumbling ruins of an ancient Jedi temple. Then when she reaches the top, she stops. There is a cloaked figure stood ahead with his back turned. Then the [[https://youtu.be/cUBUlKgsNK8?t=1m38s "Force Theme"]] swells as he slowly turns around and removes his hood...finally -- '''''finally''''' -- revealing the face of Luke Skywalker to Rey and the audience. The look on Rey's face says it all. The myth is real. The moment is so poignant and beautiful that it makes the short time he's onscreen feel much, ''much'' longer.]]

** The official novelization explains that Snoke destroyed the Star System in the movie, despite being a valuable resource to the first order, as a desperate act to prevent anyone from finding Luke..... Luke Skywalker is so ungodly badass that the villain of the movie, at the ''possibility'' of someone finding him, uses an UpToEleven ''Death Star'' to destroy the entire star system of people who could possibly find him. Luke Skywalker [[TheDreaded is so feared]] that using a Death Star to wipeout a star system at a significant loss of the people trying to keep him away is an act of desperation. Snoke is not worried about Luke returning, he's ''terrified'' of it.

------

* Kylo Ren might be a little rough around the edges, but if there's one place in which he puts the old Sith to shame, it's endurance. He starts off the final confrontation having already been gutshot by Chewbacca's bolt caster (shown several times as particularly powerful, being able to kill several stormtroopers with just one hit) and his defeat of Finn isn't a curbstomp, he takes at least one good hit on his dominant arm and the battle is clearly exhausting. He then takes on Rey and she too puts him through his paces, yet he just keeps on fighting. She has to render him mechanically unable to stand for him to stay down, and he's still clearly trying to get up and continue the fight. Despite you might think of him, [[spoiler: especially after he killed Han]], you've gotta give the bastard props for ''refusing to stay down''.

* The Resistance's arrival in the movie is a good one: while the Rebel Alliance never got a very cool "Here we come to save the day!" moment in the Original Trilogy, here, when things seem to be at their darkest, with Han, Finn, and Chewie already captured and Rey and BB-8 being hunted down, we suddenly hear a stormtrooper yell "We've got company!" Cue them all rushing to take defensive positions as a group of distant shapes speed over the lake in front of Maz's castle, and we see that it's ''dozens'' of X-wings coming in, S-foils locked in attack position, with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueqKtype7Kk the Resistance's theme]] playing in the background...and they ''kick ass.''

** Honestly, almost no one would have bat an eye if a muted reprise of ''Duel of the Fates'' had been playing during that fight.

* [[spoiler:Poe Dameron]]'s BigDamnHeroes moment in Takodana, where he demonstrates why he is the best pilot in the Resistance by destroying ''ten'' TIE fighters ''in a single pass'', while at the same time sniping stormtroopers on the ground with pinpoint accuracy. In the ''Legends'' continuity, killing five TIE fighters in one engagement makes you an "instant ace"; [[spoiler:Poe]] managed to make himself an instant ace ''in an instant! Twice!'' That's one hell of a pilot indeed.
** Particularly considering, until this point, we didn't even know if [[spoiler:Poe]] was even ''alive.''

* Kylo Ren might be a little rough around the edges, but if there's one place in which he puts the old Sith to shame, it's endurance. He starts off the final confrontation having already been gutshot by Chewbacca's bolt caster (shown several times as particularly powerful, being able to kill several stormtroopers with just one hit) and his defeat of Finn isn't a curbstomp, he takes at least one good hit on his dominant arm and the battle is clearly exhausting. He then takes on Rey and she too puts him through his paces, yet he just keeps on fighting. She has to render him mechanically unable to stand for him to stay down, and he's still clearly trying to get up and continue the fight.

** Something has to be said for a certain bit of Lampshade Hanging when Finn and Rey are getting into the ''Falcon''.